The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1-3, 1863. This grueling battle was one of the most pivotal battles of the civil war. A crushing loss for General Robert E. Lee, Gettysburg was a bit of a surprise for the south. The Confederates stumbled upon General Meade and his Union forces on July 1st 1863. Famished and low on ammunition the south was doomed from the start.
The First Day.
On the morning of July 1st, opposite forces met just outside of Gettysburg. What started off as a small skirmish eventually attracted more units and thus became the famous battle that it is today. General John Reynolds was killed in the first couple hours of the battle and once this happened the Union knew that they were outnumbered. To obtain an advantage the Union took the high ground at Little Round Top.
The Second Day
Robert E. Lee came up with a plan for the Confederates to surround the Union and attack them on both sides at Cemetery Ridge. Although there was no significant win for the Confederates, the Union lost about 8500 men. The south lost about 6500 men. They were the attackers in this case, and it unusual that the defender lost more men then the attackers.
Pickett’s Charge
On the night of July 2nd, General Pickett’s unit had just arrived to Gettysburg. Under the command of General Longstreet, Pickett would be in charge of 5 divisions of men, a combined total of 12,500 men. The Union had held Cemetery Ridge and as the south advanced, terrain and incoming artillery fire caused the south to break ranks and have gaps in their battle lines. The south then retreated as the Union held their ground. Thus turning the tide in the Civil War.
Conclusion
What was an accident became one of the biggest, most crucial battles of the civil war. It is said that if the south had Stonewall Jackson they never would’ve retreated. This changed the game for the Union as it was their first major victory in the war. The total loss of men for the Union was 23,049 and for the Confederacy 28,063.